Camp Hope: Showers could be coming to tent city

Matt Holt with a diagram of a proposed bathroom and shower facility for Camp Hope. The facilities are expected to cost $65,000 and are planned to contain four bathroom stalls plus a shower each for men and women.(Photo11: Jett Loe / Sun-News)Buy Photo

LAS CRUCES — Residents of Camp Hope call the idea a “Godsend.” If Matt Holt and Julie Wilson get their way, indoor plumbing that will include showers and toilets could be coming to the residents of tent city in the not-so-distant future.

Holt, who describes himself as a “recovering attorney,” is now a professor at New Mexico State University’s College of Business. Wilson, Holt’s sister, is the CEO of Reasons Group Inc., a consulting firm in Fort Worth, Texas, that specializes in business development and marketing strategies.

The facility — 20 x 40 feet, as designed — will include showers and toilets that utilize city water and sewer services. It will include a large, east-facing covered patio, providing protection against the afternoon sun. The patio will also feature an outdoor kitchen area, complete with sinks and propane grills. It will be accessible to Camp Hope residents 24/7.

Holt and Wilson are calling the effort Project: Dignity.

Honoring dad

The idea for Project: Dignity came after the siblings lost their father, Sam Holt, on Jan. 16. Sam, who was 90, was an Air Force pilot. Later, he owned the Yellow and Checker taxicab companies in Las Cruces for many years.

“My dad had a big heart for homeless,” Matt Holt said. “He was a World War II and Korean War vet, and had a huge heart for veterans — which comprises a huge percentage of our homeless population, it seems. So my sister and I decided we wanted to do something in his memory.”

The siblings approached Nicole Martinez, executive director of Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, and asked her what she would suggest.

“She suggested this project, which is certainly outside of my financial means,” Holt said. “However, I decided to see if I can get it done anyhow.”

Meeting a need

“I can say, having lived in the camp for the first two years, that doing away with the port-a-potties would be an act of God,” said Matt Mercer, an outreach coordinator and case manager for Community of Hope. “It will help create a greater sense of safety and security, in that residents won’t have to wait for showers. It’s going to make a huge difference.”

Camp Hope currently has four port-a-potties, which Community of Hope rents and pays to have serviced. The sinks in a small, outdoor kitchen area, built with donations by the Lions Club and the Good Samaritan Society, empty into a septic tank which has to be emptied periodically, Martinez said. Having a bathroom, shower and kitchen that ties into city water lines would eliminate some of the camp’s expenses, Martinez said.

“This will greatly improve the infrastructure of the camp, and would make better accommodations for the residents,” Martinez said. “It will help provide some of the comforts that they deserve.”

James Sassak, a founding resident and camp director, said improving access to hygiene ultimately improves the health of residents.

“That will be a big plus, because if one person gets a cold out here, everybody gets a cold,” Sassak said. “I’ve been telling everyone to wash their hands and use sanitizers.”

Of course, the comfort it will provide cannot be overlooked, Sassak said.

“Getting up in the middle of the night and going to a port-a-potty, it’s tough,” Sassak said.

Sue Campbell, lead case manager at Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, said residents sometimes have to wait several days for a shower.

“We have showers three times a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — but it’s for the entire homeless population,” Campbell said. “Several times, the showers are booked clear up until we close. So it would help relieve some of that load.”

Sassak said that the camp usually houses about 30 to 35 residents, at any given time.

“That’s 30 to 35 people that we would be taking off their rolls for using the showers,” Sassak said.

John Bazan, a long-haul truck driver, has lived at Camp Hope since October. Bazan missed his Friday shower while waiting on a load. On Friday afternoon, he said his next shower would likely be at a truck stop the following day.

“A facility like this would mean so much to us,” Bazan said. “It will be more convenient for the people who work at night. Not having access to a shower makes people pretty grumpy. This would be a Godsend. It would be received with open arms.”

A matter of money

“We’ve got a long way to go,” said Matt Holt.

Holt has friends in the construction industry, and he started visiting with them about his plan, in hopes of enlisting help.

“I talked to Ted Shelton of ASA Architects, and Randy Farmer and Barry Prahl at Genesis Construction, and they were rather enthusiastic to see what they could do to help this project along,” Holt said. “We have the roof structure and the poles — what contractors refer to as a ‘pole barn’ building — which has been given to us. It has a hard steel roof, which will withstand any windstorm New Mexico can throw at it.”

So far, Holt has lined up about $40,000 in donated services.

“At the end of the day, we don’t know exactly how much this will cost. If it were a commercial project, it would be right at $100,000. But because we don’t know how much we can get donated, in terms of supply and labor, we might be looking at $65,000 or so that we need to raise,” Holt said.

Holt has received preliminary approval from the city of Las Cruces for the building plans, and hopes to have a building permit in-hand in the coming weeks.

Holt said his church has contributed nearly $3,000 to the project. He has discussed the matter with his sister, and the siblings have agreed to match donations from the community, dollar-for-dollar, up to $30,000.

“We’d like to propose a matching donation challenge, for anyone who is willing to donate to help us make this project a reality,” Holt said.

To contribute, visit Mesilla Valley Community of Hope, 909 W. Amador Ave., or www.mvcommunityofhope.org, and include “Project: Dignity” in the memo line. Mesilla Valley Community of Hope is a 501(c)3 organization, and donations are tax deductible.

Damien Willis can be reached at 575-541-5468 or dawillis@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @damienwillis.